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Clean water for kids
TECHNOLOGY »The ability to clean up contaminated water is both fascinating (technically) and crucial (globally). Through our work, we have found that current technologies can bring new solutions to previously vexing problems - provided they are locally appropriate, and are monitored over time.
Water Purification
Take a minute and try pushing a basketball through a spaghetti strainer. Go ahead, we'll wait. (That didn't work out so well, did it?) What you've just recreated - give or take a few doctoral chemistry degrees - is pretty much the technology a child's right employs to clean water for kids. We call this filter technology "ultrafiltration". This state-of-the-art mechanism acts as a physical barrier blocking nearly 100% of all harmful bacteria.
We could have stopped there, but we recognize that safe water can still taste and smell funny, and kids don't want to drink water like that. To remove those funny tastes and odors we follow the ultrafiltration with a carbon filter. Carbon isn't as picky as we are (that is, it doesn't mind hanging out with those unwanted additions), and it actually attracts the odors and tastes, removing them from the filtered water.
In areas where we have around-the-clock electricity we add even one more layer. That third layer is a UV sterilizer which changes the DNA of any leftover bacteria that might cause harm. The inclusion of this third barrier allows a child's right to meet the global food service standard for "purified" water - making us one of the only charitable organizations that meets this criteria.
And to top off all of these great functions, the a child's right water system cleans itself! This feature allows not only for reduced dependence on user-interaction, but greatly prolongs the life and success of the technology. Now, go wash that spaghetti strainer; unfortunately it won't clean itself.
We could have stopped there, but we recognize that safe water can still taste and smell funny, and kids don't want to drink water like that. To remove those funny tastes and odors we follow the ultrafiltration with a carbon filter. Carbon isn't as picky as we are (that is, it doesn't mind hanging out with those unwanted additions), and it actually attracts the odors and tastes, removing them from the filtered water.
In areas where we have around-the-clock electricity we add even one more layer. That third layer is a UV sterilizer which changes the DNA of any leftover bacteria that might cause harm. The inclusion of this third barrier allows a child's right to meet the global food service standard for "purified" water - making us one of the only charitable organizations that meets this criteria.
And to top off all of these great functions, the a child's right water system cleans itself! This feature allows not only for reduced dependence on user-interaction, but greatly prolongs the life and success of the technology. Now, go wash that spaghetti strainer; unfortunately it won't clean itself.
Drinking Water
There is no more essential ingredient for a healthy child than safe, clean drinking water. We take the words "safe" and "clean" very seriously. We don't mean "piped," and we certainly don't mean "clear" water. We mean purified water that annually passes local and World Health Organization quality parameters. We believe that the drinking water flowing from the fountains of an Ethiopian school should and can be as safe as the water flowing in your kitchen.
Quality isn't the only ingredient, however we are also driven by quantity. An urban school should never be forced to wait on slow-moving filtration. The system used by a child's right cleans water at an amazing pace, ranging between five and ten gallons per minute, depending on specifics.
Quality isn't the only ingredient, however we are also driven by quantity. An urban school should never be forced to wait on slow-moving filtration. The system used by a child's right cleans water at an amazing pace, ranging between five and ten gallons per minute, depending on specifics.
Hygiene Education
Our water systems purify so much water that there is enough, not only for drinking, but for hygiene purposes. We recognize that safe water, alone, won't end poor hygiene habits that contribute to bad health. Thus we work with kids and caretakers to promote urban-centric hygiene education, and support that training, where appropriate, with hand-washing stations and drinking fountains that limit the spread of disease. This integrated hygiene education brings together safe water, clean hands, and better health.
Sanitation
The a child's right team always takes note of sanitation conditions at our partner sites. Quite often we find that, due to the urban nature of our work, our partners already have access to improved toilet facilities. There are, however, rare instances where this is not the case. Even though we're not in the business of building toilets, we do recognize their fundamental importance for improved health, and we make recommendations accordingly.
Monitoring & Evaluation
When a child's right installs a water system, it is not an end but a beginning. Monitoring is conducted across ten years, to assure that safe water keeps flowing, as well as to train local site leadership to steward the system beginning in the eleventh year.
